Shipping envelope

ABSTRACT

A shipping envelope having a front and back panel, the latter having an aperture to expose a portion of the surface of a shipping ticket contained in the envelope so that the back of the envelope and the exposed surface of the shipping ticket can be adhesively secured to a container, the envelope having means whereby the front panel thereof can readily be stripped from the back panel to expose the shipping ticket, the latter having readily removable end portions carrying shipping indicia thereon.

United States Patent lnventor Joseph S. Oettinger 21 Richwell Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 Appl. No 846,730

Filed Aug. 1, 1969 Patented May 25, 1971 SHIPPING ENVELOPE 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 229/70,

Int. Cl 865d 27/02 Field of Search 229/70, 74, 68; 206/47, 56

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,577,828 3/1926 King 229/74 3,199,769 8/1965 Hillman II, et al. 229/74 Primary ExaminerDavid M. Bockenek AttorneyArthur B. Colvin ABSTRACT: A shipping envelope having a front and back panel, the latter having an aperture to expose a portion of the surface of a shipping ticket contained in the envelope so that the back of the envelope and the exposed surface of the shipping ticket can be adhesively secured to a container, the envelope having means whereby the front panel thereof can readily be stripped from the back panel to expose the shipping ticket, the latter having readily removable end portions carrying shipping indicia thereon.

PATENTED M25187! 3; 580,489

SHEET 1 UF 2 301 SIZE D \l U l sum-:41 I I I CI D 50 1 QUANTITY I I I I 2-11-3" I I g 44 27/ t MI: 32 2 g E JQNES sum: ca 20 ll -'T I MAIN STREET /9 I ALBANY |\.Y. I I 1Q 40 1 l l l INVENTOR. JOSEPH S. OETTINGER B Y v M43604 ATTORNEY PATENTED W25 19?! SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. JOSEPH S. OETTINGER A TTORNEY SHIPPING ENVELOPE As conducive to an understanding of the invention, it is common practice to ship merchandise in a container or carton and enclose therein an invoice or packing slip identifying the contents. For this information to be accessible, the carton must be opened to remove the document. Where the contents are not to be immediately removed, the container must be reclosed to protect the merchandise therein. This is a timeconsuming and costly operation, particularly where the container is reshipped with the original contents.

Where a shipping ticket is directly secured to the exterior of a container or carton, due to the relatively rough handling the container may receive during shipment, the ticket may be defaced or torn with the result that the information thereon will not be available.

Where a shipping ticket containing information as to the contents of the container is inserted into an envelope that is secured to the exterior of the container, the envelope must then be slit open and the shipping ticket removed in order that the information thereon may be utilized. Due to the fact that the shipping ticket is a separate item, it may be misplaced or lost thereby rendering it necessary to physically open the container to determine its contents.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide a shipping envelope which is relatively simple in construction and may readily be fabricated at low cost, as well as an associated shipping ticket which may readily be inserted into such envelope, which envelope and included shipping ticket may both readily be secured to the exterior of a container by the application of a suitable adhesive so that the shipping ticket is protected in transit and which envelope may readily be opened completely to expose such shipping ticket without the need for any implement and which shipping ticket will remain securely affixed to the container, even when the envelope is opened to prevent misplacement of such ticket, yet will have at least a portion thereof readily detachable for subsequent processing of the information thereon.

According to the invention, these objects are accomplished by the arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter described and more particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the envelope is formed;

FIG. 2 is one possible type of shipping ticket, to be used in conjunction with the envelope illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the envelope secured to the end of the container;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the shipping envelope; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the mode of use of the shipping envelope.

Referring now to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 1, the blank B from which the envelope is formed, comprises a rear panel 11 having rectangular openings therethrough and having outwardly extending rectangular connector flaps 12 and 13 at its upper and lower ends and a front panel 14 joined at its longitudinal edge to the longitudinal edge of the rear panel 11 as by a line of perforations 15. The upper end 16 of said front panel 14 defines a pull tab which is separated from the connector flap 12 by a slit l7.

Extending from the other longitudinal edge 18 of front panel 14 is a connector flap 19 which defines the closure flap of the envelope and which has a rectangular output 20 between its end portions 21, said end portions defining rectangular connector portions 211:. As is clearly shown in FIG. 1, the longitudinal edge 18 is perforated along its entire length as are the adjacent inner edges 22, 23 of the connector flaps 12 and 13.

To assemble the envelope, a suitable adhesive such as a glue is applied to the outer surface 24 (referring to FIG. 1) of the end flaps 12 and 13 and also to the inner surface 25 of each of the connector portions 210 as well as to the inner surface of the portion 26 of connector flap 19 extending between the connector portions 21a.

The connector flaps 12 and 13 are then bent inwardly along the lines of perforations 22 and 23 as shown in FIG. 4 and pressed against the inner surface of the front panel 14. Thus, the flap 12 will be secured to the front panel 14 in manner such that the upper portion 16 of said front panel 14 will extend above the perforated reversely bent edge 22 of the rear panel 11. The connector flap 13 will be secured to the lower end of front panel 14 with the reversely bent edge 23 thereof aligned with the lower edge 26' of said front panel. As a result, an envelope will be formed having a longitudinal edge defined by the line of perforations 15, a lower edge defined by the line of perforations 23 and an upper edge defined by the line of perforations 22 with a pull tab 16 forming an integral part of the front panel, extending beyond said perforated edge 22.

The mouth of the envelope defined between the longitudinal edge 27 of the rear panel 11 and the connector flap 19 of the front panel will be open to receive the shipping ticket 28 shown in FIG. 2.

In the illustrative embodiment shown, the shipping ticket has a central portion 29 and two end portions 30 and 31, the latter being connected to the central portion 29 by lines of perforation 32, 33. The front face of the shipping ticket, shown in FIG. 2, may have identical shipping indicia printed on its upper and lower portions 30 and 31 as well as associated sensing punches 30 for use with computers. The shipping ticket 28 is inserted in the envelope so that the rear face of the central portion 29 thereof will be in juxtaposition to the apertures 10 in the central portion of the rear panel 11. Thereupon, the envelope may be sealed by reversely bending the connector flap 19, the space 20 between the connector portions 21a providing clearance for the apertures 10.

The envelope with its contained shipping ticket may then be applied to the end wall 35 of a container 36 by applying glue to the rear panel 11 as well as to the rear face of the central portion 29 of the shipping ticket exposed through the apertures 10. Thus, the envelope and included shipping ticket will be securely afi'txed to the container. The pull tab 16 on the upper end of the front panel is not secured to the container since this pull tab must be free for subsequent opening of the envelope as will now be described.

The shipping envelope and associated shipping ticket above described, are particularly useful in the shoe field where a manufacturer may send a large number of shoes of different styles and sizes which have been previously ordered to, say, the central distribution center for a large chain of stores for reshipment to the various stores of the chain.

According to one method of utilizing the invention herein, shipping envelopes bearing the name of the purchaser and the name of his central distribution center on the front panel 14, as shown in FIG. 3, and shipping tickets 28 hearing the store name and address on the front face of the central portion 29 as shown in FIG. 2, and the style number, size and quantity of goods ordered on each of the end portions 30, 31, will be sent to the manufacturer, who will pack each container according to the information on the shipping ticket and after this is done, enclose the shipping ticket in the envelope and secure the same to the container as above described.

When the containers with the affixed shipping envelope are received at the distribution center of the purchaser, the receiving clerk need merely pull down on the pull tab 16 as shown in FIG. 5 and as a result of the lines of perforations 22, 23 at the upper and lower ends of the envelope and 15, 18 along the longitudinal edges of the envelope, the front panel of the envelope may be stripped away as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, this will completely expose the shipping ticket 28, the central portion 29 of which had been adhesively secured to the container through the apertures 10 in the rear panel 11.

Thereupon, the receiving clerk may remove say, the upper portion 30 of the shipping ticket by tearing the same along the line of perforations 32 so that such removed portion 30 may be used for subsequent invoice checking and inventory control. v

The container may then be routed in the warehouse by the receiving clerk to the shipping department where the shipping clerk will arrange the containers in proper manner, as indicated by the name and address of the store to which the containers are subsequently to be shipped, which is shown on the front face of the afi'ixed central portion 29 of the shipping ticket. Prior to release of the containers by the shipping clerk to the trucker or other means of transportation, the shipping clerk will remove the other portion 31 of the shipping ticket which will then be used to record the actual shipment of the merchandise to its ultimate destination, for both accounting and merchandising purposes.

With the novel shipping envelope and shipping ticket above described, there is assurance that the shipping ticket will be protected in transit from the manufacturer to the central distribution center, by the envelope in which it is contained and upon arrival to the distribution center, the envelope may readily be opened without likelihood of misplacement of the shipping ticket so that the container with the information as to its contents may be subsequently distributed with assurance that accurate inventory and merchandising control may be accomplished.

Since under modern methods of accounting and merchandising control, punched cards are extensively utilized, it is apparent that protection of the shipping ticket is essential, for any defacement thereof will destroy its ability to be processed through automatic high speed tabulating and computing equipment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1 claim:

1. A shipping envelope assembly comprising a substantially rectangular front panel, a substantially rectangular rear panel joined to said front panel along the marginal edges thereof to define an envelope, said front panel including a pull tab, a plurality of lines of perforations formed in said front panel defining a front removable area connected to said pull tab, at least one aperture defined in said rear panel, an elongated, essentially rectangular ticket having an intermediate portion, and an end portion separated from said intermediate portion by a tear line, said ticket, when positioned in said envelope, having a region of said intermediate portion exposed through said aperture in said rear panel, said end portion of said ticket being shielded by said rear panel whereby, when said assembly is adhesively secured to a container by an adhesive applied to the rear face of said rear panel, said rear face of said panel and said exposed region of said ticket will be secured to said container.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said rear panel includes reversely bent connector flaps at each end secured to the ends of said front panel, said pull tab being defined by an end portion of said front panel extending beyond the associated, reversely bent connector flap of the rear portion.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said front panel includes a pair of tab portions outwardly lapping and adhesively connected to said rear panel, said tab portions, in said lapping position, being offset from said aperture. 

1. A shipping envelope assembly comprising a substantially rectangular front panel, a substantially rectangular rear panel joined to said front panel along the marginal edges thereof to define an envelope, said front panel including a pull tab, a plurality of lines of perforations formed in said front panel defining a front removable area connected to said pull tab, at least one aperture defined in said rear panel, an elongated, essentially rectangular ticket having an intermediate portion, and an end portion separated from said intermediate portion by a tear line, said ticket, when positioned in said envelope, having a region of said intermediate portion exposed through said aperture in said rear panel, said end portion of said ticket being shielded by said rear panel whereby, when said assembly is adhesively secured to a container by an adhesive applied to the rear face of said rear panel, said rear face of said panel and said exposed regioN of said ticket will be secured to said container.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said rear panel includes reversely bent connector flaps at each end secured to the ends of said front panel, said pull tab being defined by an end portion of said front panel extending beyond the associated, reversely bent connector flap of the rear portion.
 3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said front panel includes a pair of tab portions outwardly lapping and adhesively connected to said rear panel, said tab portions, in said lapping position, being offset from said aperture. 